Mitroglou makes preliminary Greece squad

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Striker Kostas Mitroglou has been included on Greece’s preliminary World Cup squad despite his troubled move to relegated Premier League team Fulham, while injured-plagued defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos is not on the roster.

Greece’s soccer association released the names of the 30-player squad Wednesday. It plans to announce the final 23-man team Monday.

The 26-year-old Mitroglou sent Greece to the World Cup, scoring three goals for a 4-2 aggregate win over Romania in the playoffs, but struggled after his move to London in January.

Greece faces Colombia, Japan and Ivory Coast in Group C at the World Cup.

Coach Fernando Santos also called up two players from Panathinaikos, which recovered from a rough stretch to win the Greek Cup, picking goalkeeper Stefanos Kapino and forward Nikos Karelis.